


The Failed Attempt

by PurplMuffinXTRM



Series: Changing Tides (AU/Everyone Lives) [6]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Ace Lives, Alive Thatch (One Piece), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Attempted Murder, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Shirohige | Whitebeard | Edward Newgate Lives, Surprises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-07-30
Packaged: 2019-06-18 23:48:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15497547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurplMuffinXTRM/pseuds/PurplMuffinXTRM
Summary: Thatch survives Teach's murder attempt. Two months later he wakes up to find out that his girlfriend and best friend have a secret. A good one mind you.





	The Failed Attempt

**Author's Note:**

> Yay! First story in my AU of my Changing Tides series. Let me know what you think.  
> Read and enjoy!

“Thank you again.” Ann walks out of the infirmary with a hand resting on her stomach. Her feet make soft thuds as she crosses the deck to the commander’s quarters. The door to Thatch’s room creaks as it opens. She looks into the room for any sign of the man. Finding none, she turns away only to run into Izo. “Ah. Sorry.”

“It’s alright.” He studies her. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah.” She smiles. “Have you seen Thatch? I need to talk to him about something.”

“Last I saw him he was heading for the back deck. He still has that devil fruit with him.”

“Really? It’s been almost three days.”

“It’s not an easy decision to make. You should know that.”

She shrugs. “I took a page out of Luffy’s book and just ate it. Consequences be damned.”

“Ha. Ha. Of course.”

“I have to go find Thatch. Goodnight, Izo.”

“Goodnight.” He waves after her retreating form.  
Ann makes her way quietly across the deck again.

“Thatch,” she calls lowly as she emerges on the back deck. Only silence greets her. “Thatch?” She surveys the area. A scream rips through her throat. “Thatch!” She moves to her boyfriend lying prone on the ground. “Someone help!”

“Thatch. Love.” She drops to her knees. “What happened?” She presses a hand to his back only to pull back when she realizes the dark spot on his jacket is blood.

“Ann?” Vista appears on the deck.

“Get a nurse,” she orders. “Hurry. Get a nurse. Get Whiskey. Get anyone. He’s bleeding.”

Vista turns on his heels and runs.

“Thatch.” She finds his wound. “Stay with me.” She presses her hand to it firmly. “Just stay with me.”

There’s a gross cough. He groans, “Annnn.”

“Hey, it’s okay.” Tears line her cheeks. “I’m here. Vista’s getting help.”

“T… ea… ch.”

“Save your strength. Worry about him later.”

“Move.” Whiskey takes Ann’s place. The nurses work quickly to stop the bleeding. Once they deem him stable enough, they transfer him to a gurney and rush him to the infirmary.

Ann doesn’t move, doesn’t make a sound. She stares numbly at her hands covered in a salty red liquid. Her tears. _His_ blood. Thatch’s blood.

“Come on.” Vista lifts her, forcing her to stand. “Let’s get you cleaned up.” He wraps an arm around her shoulders. She remains speechless. She doesn’t resist as he leads her away but, she doesn’t help him either.  
They cross the deck slowly. Vista shields her from wandering night eyes while they make their way back to the commander’s quarters. 

“Ann? Vista? What happened?” Izo is still in the hall. 

“Thatch,” is Ann’s only answer. “I need to wash up.” She gestures meekly with her hands.

“My room?” Izo looks to his fellow commander. Vista nods.

They gently guide her to the sixteenth commander’s room. They leave her to clean up in the private bathroom as Vista fills Izo in. Several minutes pass. Ann doesn’t exit the bathroom. Vista frowns. “Something’s wrong.”

Izo raps on the door. “Ann. Hon. Are you okay?”

“No.” Her voice cracks.

“Ann?” He opens the door. “What’s wrong?”

“It won’t come off.” She stands in front of the sink. “I can’t get it off.”

“Can’t get what off?” He approaches his twenty-year-old brother cautiously.

“The blood. I can’t get it off.” She scrubs and scratches at her hands. The skin is red and faint marks swell with her blood.

“Ann. Honey.” Izo takes her hands. Vista turns off the water.

“I have to get it off.”

“It’s gone, Ann. I promise.” Izo pulls her into a tight hug. “It’s okay. It’s all going to be okay.”

She shakes her head violently as her small frame rattles with sobs. They sink to the floor together.  
Vista rests a hand on Izo’s shoulder. “I’m going to inform Pops.”

Izo gives a minute nod refusing to loosen his grip on the hysterical girl. “I have to go. I have to tell him,” she rambles. “I have to tell Thatch."

“Thatch is being taken care of by the nurses. You can talk to him when they’re done.”

“What if I forget by then?” Ann struggles to get away from Izo.

“I won’t let you forget.”

“How will you if you don’t even know what I have to tell him?” She attempts to elbow him.

“You can tell me.”

Ann stills and looks deep into the caring eyes of her brother. “You can’t tell anyone. Not even Pops.”

“You have my word. I won’t tell a soul.”

“I’m…”

Minutes turn to hours. Hours turn to days. Days to weeks. And weeks to months. No one knows what went down that night. Teach is missing from the ship and Thatch is comatose.

The crew onboard the Moby is not as lively as it once was. There’s a somber silence that hangs in the air as they wait for any news.

Ann is in a mild state of depression. She refuses to speak to anyone but Izo and occasionally Vista. She isn’t working in the kitchen anymore, claiming that the smells are making her nauseous. She is sleeping in well past breakfast and is eating more than usual. Although, she is a lot more picky about what enters her stomach. What time she doesn’t spend eating or sleeping is spent at Thatch’s bedside. A majority of the crew are torn between being worried about the fourth division commander and being concerned about their youngest brother.

Pops watches Thatch as he twitches in his sleep. What happened to his sons? Was Roger right all those years ago? He sighs heavily.

There’s a groan from the cot. Thatch blinks slowly as his father’s worried face focuses in his view.

“Pops,” he rasps. “What happened?”

“I was hoping you could tell me.”

“You’re awake,” Whiskey comments upon exiting her office.

Whitebeard looks to his daughter. “He awoke a few moments ago."

“How do you feel?” Whiskey walks over.

“Sore.” Thatch coughs roughly.

“Izo, get him some water,” Whiskey orders the commander as he and Ann leave the doctor's office. Izo does as told. Whiskey eases Thatch into a sitting position piling pillows behind him. “Drink slow,” she instructs as her patient drains the glass.

“Thank you.” Thatch passes the glass back to his brother.

“No problem.” Izo smiles.

Whiskey starts taking various measurements. “You’ll be sore for a while, especially in the chest region. The wound itself is closed and mostly healed. Your muscles may be stiff or weaker from being in bed.”

“How long was I out?” Thatch interrupts. Whiskey scowls.

“Six and a half weeks.” Ann takes one of his hands in hers. Her other hand rests on her stomach.

“Oh.”  
The doctor clears her throat. “I want you to stay here for another night. For the next week, stick to light training and don’t lift anything too heavy. Make sure to get plenty of bed rest.” She turns to her captain. “Tell Marco, no night shifts for at least two weeks.” Whitebeard nods. “Good. You all may stay. I have other things to do.” She looks back to Thatch before walking away. “If you feel any pain in your chest let me know right away.”

Thatch nods and Whiskey leaves them be. Whitebeard studies his trio of sons. “It’s good to see you awake my boy.”

Thatch smiles. Ann lifts her boyfriend’s hand pressing a kiss into the back of it. Something wet hits his hand as her’s trembles. “Ann?”

She lunges forward and hugs Thatch with a whimper.

“She was the one who found you,” Pops explains.

“Oh.” Thatch hugs her back. “I’m sorry. I’m okay now.”

“What happened? You should have been safe. There was no warning. No enemy ship. You should have been safe."

“I was trying to decide on what to do with that fruit. I got lost in thought and didn’t notice anything was amiss until it was too late. There was a pain in my chest. I remember turning and seeing Teach there. He was holding a sword and smiling. Everything after that is a blur.”

“So, that’s why we can’t find Teach or the fruit.” Izo sighs. “He took it and ran.”

“No. No,” Ann whines. “Why would he do that?”

“I don’t know.”

“I suppose it was bound to happen,” Whitebeard murmurs. “Roger warned me about him years ago. I prayed he was wrong.”

It takes half an hour for Ann’s crying to completely stop. When she’s finally calm she sits on the bed next to her very much living and breathing boyfriend.

“Are you two okay?” Thatch demands.

“What?” Izo furrows his eyebrows.

“You and Ann were in Whiskey’s office. Are you okay?”

“Oh, that.” Izo grins. “Everything is fine. Great even.” He nods to Ann.

She giggles. “I’ve been waiting weeks to tell you.” She gets serious for a moment. “You just can’t tell anyone else yet.” Ann turns to their father. “Please.”

“Bah. I can keep a secret.”

“I don’t know. This one might be too big.” Izo laughs.

“Shush you.” Ann punches him lightly. “So, I, uh, may, kinda, might be, just a little bit…”

A week goes by, and Thatch is back to his usual routine. Well, except for night watches. He won’t have one of those more months if Marco has his way.

Speaking of Marco, at the current moment he and Ann are trying to keep a certain fire logia on the Moby.

“Let go of me.” Ace yanks his arm out of Ann’s grasp. “I’m going. You can’t stop me.”

“Ace please,” Ann begs. “Remember what Pops said.”

“Pops has a bad feeling about this yoi,” Marco expands. “Listen to him and stay."

“No. Teach was part of the second division. He’s my responsibility. I’m going.”

Exasperated Ann gives in. “Then at least stay for tonight.”

“What yoi?” Marco is stunned.

“Why?” Ace looks her up and down.

“Stay for Thatch’s party. Then he can enjoy and not be worried his friend and brother going after his would-be-killer alone because he’s a dumbass.”

“I get it but no.”

“Why not yoi?”

“I can’t afford to wait any longer. He’s two months ahead of us.”

“Exactly why waiting one more day won’t hurt yoi.”

“I could use the extra day to find him faster.”

“Please Ace.” Ann gives him a hard look. “I’m not asking for much. Just one more day. Please. For your little sister.”

“Oh so now you’re the younger one.” She grins. He sighs. “Fine. One more day.”

“Thank you! Thank you!” She hugs him quickly. “Now, I have to finish getting ready for tonight.” She leaves the two commanders. 

“Thank you,” Marco murmurs. He places a chaste kiss on Ace’s lips. “For giving me another day."

“You act like you’re never going to see me again.”

“With you, I never know.”  
“Get a room,” someone yells half-heartedly from across the deck as the lovers start making out. Ace flips them off.

The party is a hit. Every Whitebeard pirate on the Moby crowds the deck. Everyone is cheerfully drinking ale and eating food. They’re all celebrating the fact that their brother is alive. Even if it was one of their own that had tried to kill him. Thatch moves around every so often and strikes up a conversation or banters with anyone he can find. As he moves from group to group, he keeps an eye trained on Ann. She presently sits with some fourth division members. One of them, a man named Kyle, has an arm around her. He is very clearly drunk. Ann is getting more and more frustrated as the man tries to force her to drink. She smacks his hands away several times. Kyle and those around them laugh. Thatch is about to intervene when Ann abruptly stands and walks away from the group. With an annoyed huff, she sits down by Izo and Vista. The two easily add her to their conversation. Satisfied with the outcome, Thatch refocuses on his discussion with Haruta.

“So, we need to prank him,” She finishes.

“Sorry, who are we pranking?”

Haruta frowns. “You weren’t listening?”

Thatch rubs the back on his neck. “Sorry. Got distracted.”

She looks behind her. “Oh.” She spots the fuming Ann. “Is she okay?"

“She’ll be fine. Anyway, who are we pranking and what ideas do you got?”

“Marco. He’s stressing himself out over Teach and everything that happened. He’s also a bit worked up over Ace wanting to leave. I’m hoping we can convince Ace to join in on the prank so that he’ll stay on the ship longer."

“Sounds like a great idea.” Thatch grins.

“Gur ha ha ha. My children.” Pops gets everyone’s attention. “I believe Ann and Thatch have an announcement to make.”

“Are you finally getting married?” Someone calls out. 

“Close enough.” Ann jokes back. She stands up and makes her way over to Pop’s chair. She grabs Thatch’s hands and entwines their fingers along the way.

“Don’t keep us waiting all day,” Izo smirks. 

Ann sticks her tongue out at him before getting serious. She looks over the gathering of her brothers and sisters with a nervous smile. “So, uh, I, er, we may, kinda be..”

She hides behind Thatch as a blush takes over her face. Thatch laughs. “We’re having a child.”

There’s no response. No one makes a sound. Ann doubts they even breathed. There’s a laugh from Pops and Izo as everyone says a collective, “What!?”

“What do you mean?”

“A child? Where?”

“Are you adopting?"

“I’m pregnant,” Ann shouts over the noise.

There’s silence again before they all break out into cheers.

“Are you serious?”

“Is this for real?"

“This is awesome!”

“Yes. I’m seriously pregnant.” She grins. “That means no booze for me for a while.”

“Sorry,” Kyle shouts.

Then the questions start.

“When are you due?”

“What’s its name going to be?”

“Is it a boy or girl?”

“One at a time,” Thatch orders. Everyone is immediately quiet, terrified of angering the soon-to-be father.

Ann giggles. “Six months. We haven’t talked about names yet. And we don’t know their gender.”

“Why not?” They whine.

“Because it’s a few weeks too early for that. And I kinda want it to be a surprise for when the baby’s born.”

“Then what are we going to call it?"

“What do you mean?” Thatch responds this time.

“If we don’t know the gender we don’t know if we should call it our niece or our nephew.”

“You can start by not calling them an ‘it,’” Ann snaps. “I realize my baby’s not born yet, but no one living, dead, or unborn deserves to be called an ‘it.’”

There are several mumbled ‘sorry’s.

“So, what are we calling them?” Haruta asks. “If we can’t call them niece or nephew."

“On the island I come from,” Vista speaks up. “If they didn’t know the baby’s gender the aunts and uncles called them ‘nibling.’”

“I’m not sure I like how that sounds,” Ann whispers to Thatch.

“On mine, they called ‘em ‘nibblet,’” Kyle adds.  
“Better.”

“On Fishman Island, we call them ‘chiblings,’” Namur suggests.

Ann and Thatch share a look.

“Yes.” They speak in unison.

Sometime after all the excitement dies down, Ace walks over to his sister and hugs her. “I’ll stay.”


End file.
